We all love new stamps do we not?

Being a Stampin Up! demonstrator has many benefits and one of those is to be able to pre-order stamps and products prior to the catalogue being released. This goes for all catalogues and allows us to have some samples made up for when the new catalogue commences. One of the sets i pre-ordered was the lovely little Contempo Christmas – its on page 23 of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue (got yours yet??)

Recipe
Stamps: Contempo Christmas
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP (retired)
Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive
Accessories: Two Way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot ribbon (retired), Stampin Dimenionals

This card was a great card to create to use up some of the left over Cottage Wall DSP and Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot ribbon I had left over.  This card will be even quicker if you have the lovely new Extra Large Ornament punch which I’m just waiting to arrive.

Now although I used retired DSP and ribbon on this card you could easily re-create with new DSP and ribbons from the new 2o10-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue – it would look great with the Jolly Holiday DSP or even a couple of sheets from the new Patterns Stacks – you can find them on page 127.

The new DSP Paper Stacks are a new item and they include 40 sheets of double sided patterned papers in the Colour families – you get 4 different designs/patterns in the 10 colours in each family or the 5 colours in the In Colour family for just $37.95 – thats less 95 cents per sheet! Now you cant beat that for double sided high quality patterned paper!

The ladies at yesterday’s Stamp A Stack loved this card and how easy it was to put together.

I will be posting out some more 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogues today to those who have ordered them recently. If you dont have your copy then please ensure you ring or email to arrange your copy.

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you will know I enjoy the ‘occasional’ cup of coffee …… well ok maybe a little more than the occasional cup

In my last post I shared I had the lovely Tanya come and visit for a few days (on her way home from Perth – yup long way home!) well she brought with her some of her Big Shot dies and cutting pads for us to play with. Yes its true – I dont have everything in the Catalogues!!  One of the dies she bought and gave it to me as a gift was the Movers and Shapers die!! How stoked was I?? She laughed at me cos the first few times I picked it up I just cuddled it lol.

Now I’ve been wanting this one off for a while now and now I have one of my very own … again thanks heaps Tanya.  So while she was here I had to use it did I not??

I first ran some Melon Mambo cardstock and some Cottage Garden DSP through the Big Shot with the die and thought immediately of the lovely little ‘Share a Cup’ a la carte stamp and thought of just putting one on the corner but then thought a few cups would look good.

What do you think?

Now while I was making this card I thought about how some hang their cups on hooks and thought it would look cool with them just under the ribbon.

So thats how this second card came into being.

These are both very simple and easy cards to make and you might notice the stamped image inside the curly label window? Its a new set called Perfect Punches which will be available in the new 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue. This is actually a set that Shelli Gardner (Stampin Up! Founder and CEO) gave to all the demonstrators at the end of Convention in May.  So it really does pay to be a demonstrator and attend convention

Did I mention I got my copy yesterday and its just sooo gaw-juss!  Dont forget to email me and reserve your copy!

Now you all know about the Last Chance List and as expected some items are running low and some have already run out so here’s  a list of those products ….

Products Running Low

• Rose is a Rose
• Playful Petals
• Totally Tabs
• Short Order Alphabet
• Basic Black Cardstock 12×12
• Basic Black Cardstock A4
• Basic Gray Cardstock A4
• Sahara Sand Cardstock A4
• Whisper White 12×12
• Kraft Cardstock A4
• Real Red Stampin’ Around cartridge
• Stampin’ Pastels
• Pop Up Glue Dots

Products Sold Out

• Close to Cocoa A4
• Sweet Slumber Specialty DSP

If there is anything on the Last Chance List that you would like then please ring or email me your order as soon as possible so you dont miss out.

Yesterday I shared my Birthday Tess card and said I’d pop a gift bag on the card.

I am happy to report that Tess has now been shopping and has a lovely Gift Bag with a present inside for her friend.

It lifts the card a little dont you think? and who wants to visit a friend on their birthday without a little something in a gift bag?

The gift bag is simply a small piece of Designer Series Paper with some white tissue paper scrunched up and sticking out the top.  The handle was created using the Word Window punch.

Hope you like my little addition

I’ve had a few birthdays the last few weeks and wanted to use my Tote-ally Tess stamp set.

After deliberating for what seemed like hours (which was really about 20 minutes or so) on what papers to use I finally gave in and went with the gorgeous Cottage Wall Designer Series Papers.

As much as I love the Tote-ally Tess set and ‘had’ to have her I’ve struggled to use her in cards.  So I’m challenging myself  to use Tess more so I hope you will see a few different “Tess” cards over the next few weeks.

Why dont you make a card with Tess too and pop a comment with the link to your blog post or online gallery?

This one is simply a “Birthday Tess” carrying a little cupcake. Looking at the card now I could have added a little gift bag as well – I might even still do that and send through a photo once its done.

Recipe:

Stamps: Tote-ally Tess, Short and Sweet
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP
Inks: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron, More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Ridinghood Red, Going Gray.
Accessories: Big Shot, Lots of Tags sizzlits, White Taffeta Ribbon, Aqua Painter, Stampin Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, Mini Glue dots.

One of my favourite ways to colour is to use my Aqua Painter and the ink pads to water colour and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Certainly Celery top went with the Rich Razzleberry pants. 

So who’s for a cupcake?

I could go one right about now!  Why not treat yourself to one today and why not grab a Latte at the same time to wash it all down! In honour of all the birthdays we’ve had lately of course

Hello!  I do hope you are having a lovely weekend and if you live in the same country as I do are keeping warm! It was a rather chilly Saturday today!

Firstly my apologies for being so late with my cards today (hope Carol forgives me but I did make two!)

Here is this week’s sketch – a bit of a doozy and I do think Carol had one of those “this will fix them” moments!

I really struggled with this at first and started working on a card and then half way through it decided to scrap that one and go another direction.  So I do hope you like what I’ve come up with today.

This is the first card I came up with …

I wanted to make a card that would fit in with next month’s promotion but I’m not telling you what the promotion is so maybe you can work it out from my card – and maybe not!!  You’ll just have to wait till Thursday to see if you are right

Its that diagonal bit that threw me with the sketch so once I got over that I was fine.

I do love the Cottage Wall Designer Series Papers and the Cottage Garden stamp set. We are so blessed to be the only ones to have the Cottage Garden Stamp set as it is only available in Australia and New Zealand – so we really are the lucky country are we not?

Now as I was making this above card my mind was wondering and drifted over to the lovely Bella Bleu papers and the Echoes of Kindness Hostess set and this is what I came up with …

I do love the saying in this stamp set – and I just love the colours in the Bella Bleu Papers – I am so going to miss them when they retire at the end of August.

I do hope you like my cards today and its not time to pop along to the next Designing Diva and today its the lovely Tammy Fite

With my business I like to have a Financial year diary each year so its easier to file with my Taxation records. Now being a crafter I like my ‘tools’  to be nice and bright and cheery.

If you have ever looked for a Financial Year diary have you ever noticed just how drab and boring they are? Well I suppose there is such a big choice – you can have black, black or umm black!

I always go to Big W and look there first as they are just so affordable and looking at the ones they had last week we worked out (yes I was shopping with hubby) that we could remove the insert and I could then undo the binding, make a new cover and then re-do the binding.

Once I pulled the diary out it I wondered if our spiral punch would fit the binding.

Lo and behold it did!!

So now instead of having to undo the binding, make a new cover and then redoing the binding all I have done is cut a piece of Designer Series Paper the size of the pages in the diary and use the spiral punch down one side.

To give it a little more protection I added a sheet of Acetate over the piece of Designer Series Paper again by cutting it to the size of the pages of the diary and using the Spiral punch and slotting it into the binding.

Now since uploading this post I’ve found out about the latest Challenge over at Just Add Ink. Just Add Ink is a blog run by a couple of fellow Aussie demonstrators with a new challenge each week and this week’s challenge is to ‘Just Add Patterned Paper’ and think my diary fits the challenge.

Now when I need a change or the Designer Series paper becomes a little tatty or retired I can just slot in a new piece of DSP and its just like having a new diary!

Good Morning all!

Its another busy day for me but that’s OK because I love what I do! Being a Stampin Up Demonstrator I get to go to people’s houses and share with them my love of card making, stamping and papercraft – and I earn money when I do this so to me there is no better job – well except for being a mum!

How many of us have a job we are passionate about and just love doing? If you are a stamper or crafter and would like more information about becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator then please do not hesitate to contact me – even if it is just to get your stamping products and accessories at a discount.

Its Saturday again (where does the week go?) and therefore that means another Utah Divas International Sketch

Another sketch from the hands of the lovely Carol and again a sketch that has so many opportunities.

Now I have a demonstration this afternoon and the hostess has asked for cards that are girly and funky so I hope she feels this card fits the funky bill.

So here’s my card … what do you think? is it funky?

My 10yo told me its definitely funky as she helped me design the card. I have left the bottom strip off as Miss 10 said that if I put ribbon on the card there it would not be funky any more so what’s a mum to do??

Recipe

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly
Inks: Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White, Orchid Opulence, Cottage Wall DSP
Accessories: Stampamajig, Butterfly Punch, Stampin Dimensionals.

I just love the Cottage Wall Designer Series Papers – they are so fresh and lovely … and maybe funky?? I am also glad we will have them for 5 months instead of the regular 3 months a mini catalogue runs for.

I’ve used the Flight of the Butterfly Stamp set with this card as my hostess wanted to see the butterfly punch in action. Now I did make another card using the butterfly punch but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow for that one!

Again you can see all the lovely creations the ladies have made following the links at the Utah Divas International Blog and if you skip along to the lovely Tiffany’s  blog you can see what she’s made and then just keep following the rest of the links to see them individually.

I do hope the ladies like this card this afternoon .. now I’d best be off and finish packing my trolley.

Well welcome to the second ESAD-SU Autumn-Winter Mini Blog Hop! I hope you enjoyed the first hop last week as much as I did!

What is ESAD-SU?

ESAD stands for Extra Special Australasian (Australia and New Zealand) Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!®.

We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.

So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

Now you should have come here from Kristine Thompson’s blog but if you havent you can click on her name and start there as she was the first blog in the hop or you can just keep hopping to the next blog until you get back to me – either way its all good

Now you’d better go grab yourself a cuppa as you’ll be hopping for a while!

I have been admiring the Cottage Wall Designer Series Papers ever since they were released in USA/Canada and when I opened the Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue for the first time and saw them in there my heart just about leapt out of my tshirt!

I wanted to make something a little special so I put on my thinking cap and came across these little Haute Tote’s on Creations with AR – Adela is a sweet lady from USA who I’ve come to know through Stampin Up!

Just how sweet are these bags???

I thought I’d make two to highlight the gorgeousness (yes that IS a word!) of these papers. All the papers used in these two projects are all from The Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper Pack.

The first set I’ll show you is the darker Razzleberry set.

The set includes a covered post-it notes block, covered mechanical pencil and a couple of very scrummy Wicked Scents melts – and how clever is Miss Kerri to make them in a colour to match the papers???

The bag was quite easy to make and I would love to have come make one at a class – I will have details of that class up soon.

The bag also has a little pocket inside – just like a real bag for popping in a gift voucher or gift card like the iTunes card shown here.

These bags make an awesome gift bag for a girl of any age and I’m sure the younger girls will love carrying it around and showing it off – bit like the bigger girls too!

Now on the front  you might see the little pocket on the handle.

It actually opens up to reveal a little ‘to and from’ tag

Makes an awesome little gift dont you think?? and for a lady of any age!

Now onto the other bag ….

This time I’ve gone for a set of cards inside the bag.

Since starting with Stampin’ Up! and doing classes I’ve found out that people love to give a gift of cards in a set and others also love to get them given to them as gifts.

This set has three cards with envelopes and the bag. This leaves room for some chocolates or something small – like maybe a gift voucher or gift card.

I’ve used the Cottage Garden stamp set to make these cards as it was designed to match the Cottage Wall Designer Series Papers. The set is extra special as its only in Australia and New Zealand markets right now – its not even in the upcoming Mini Catalogue being released in USA in May.  How special is that??

I love making these little 10×10 (cm) cards as they are quick and easy and great for making into sets like this and giving as gift cards.

You might see on the above photo a little tag hanging from the handle of the bag.

I’ve made a tag using the Large Oval Punch and the Scalloped Oval Punch and the sentiment ‘just for you’ from Teeny Tiny Sentiments which happens to be obscured by the beaded dangly I attached so I apologise for that.

I do hope you like these little bags and the gift sets I’ve made for today’s blog hop.

Now if you do make it around all 26 of the blogs and leave comments on all of them you are then in the running for some Blog Candy!  Yes we have blog candy!  There will be two winners – one from New Zealand and one from Australia. All you have to do is to visit and comment on each of the blogs in todays blog hop and then send an email to the lovely Sharlene Torres and advise that you have commented on all the blogs and give her your name, email and location.  Its that easy!  I will be donating one of my gift bags as the blog candy!

Now for you to continue on your journey you need to hop along to Linda Craven’s awesome blog – Linda is a dear friend and a very talented stamper and you will just love what she’s made – no I havent seen it but she always makes great stuff.

Have fun hopping around all the blogs today – and dont over-do it – we dont want you hurting anything! So look left and right and then left again before you leap! OK so I’ve had too much chocolate today

Thanks for stoppin by